In Re Ciraolo

Petitioner Michael C. Ciraolo, an attorney and assistant public defender for Alameda County, seeks to have set aside an order of contempt issued by the Alameda County Superior Court, and arising out of the filing by petitioner of a certain false disqualification affidavit in a criminal matter assigned to Judge Robert H. Kroninger for trial. In our view the trial court’s conclusion is amply warranted that petitioner did not in good faith believe the truth of his assertions made in the affidavit but instead used the affidavit and disqualification motion simply as one of a number of sequential…